The IT Nerd

Last week in part 1 of my holiday gift guide, I shared my thoughts in terms of gifts that caught my eye. Today, I’ll share some gift ideas based on products I’ve reviewed this past year.

• Smartphones will be a popular gift choice this year. If you have a persons who needs only an entry phone, I’d suggest the Motorola Moto G LTE as it is a great entry level phone. Power users who are also Android fans have a couple of choices. The LG G3 and the Samsung Galaxy G5 which are great flagship phones. If you have no particular allegiance towards an OS, seriously consider the BlackBerry Passport as that’s a really great phone once you get past the fact that it has an odd shape.
• If you know someone who needs a new router and they’re a power user, my suggestion would be Linksys WRT1900AC. If something a bit more budget friendly is more ideal, try the Linksys EA6900. Either way, they are easy to set up and they are great additions to any home network.
• Tablets are a good choice and Asus have a couple of choices for you. The VivoTab Note 8 Which runs Windows 8.1 and Memo Pad 8 which runs Android are great choices depending on your preference in OS. If that’s not enough, Alcatel OneTouch Pop 8 is another good choice as it has HSPA+ so that you can use it anywhere. If you have a person on your list who cannot decide between a tablet and an ultra portable notebook, Asus can give you both. They have the Asus Transformer Pad TF103C which runs Android and can be used as both a tablet and a notebook.
• If you’ve got a reader on your list, I’d suggest the Kobo Aura H20. It has a great screen, great battery life and is waterproof. Clearly it’s a device that can be used anywhere. Another choice is the Playaway Light All-In-One Audiobook which gives one an easy way to get access to audiobooks.
• Drones are the in thing at the moment and Parrot have a couple of choices in the form of the Rolling Spider Mini Drone & Jumping Sumo Mini Drone which work with your iOS or Android phone. They’re easy to use and fun too.
• If you’ve got an iPhone user on your list, accessories are a good and cheap choice. My suggestions would be the Nomad ChargeCard & ChargeKey which give you a easy to carry Lightning cable, the Skinit iPhone 5/5S Folio Case which is a great case for the iPhone 5/5s, or the InvisibleShield Glass For The Apple iPhone 5s to protect the screen.
• If you have an iPad user on your list, I’d suggest the Brydge+ With Speakers which is a great keyboard/speaker combo. Alternately, you can choose the Belkin FastFit Keyboard For iPad Mini which is another good choice for a keyboard.
• Printers are still great gift choices and Canon has a couple for you to choose from depending on your needs. The Canon Selphy CP910 Compact Photo Printer will allow you to make photo quality prints from your phone, tablet or digital cameras. Or if you need a all purpose printer/scanner/copier, take a look at the Canon PIXMA MG7120 All-In-One Printer as it’s very versatile and comes in some cool colors.
• For someone who wants to keep an eye on their home, check out the Belkin NETCAM HD which is easy to set up and they can not only see and hear what’s going on via their iOS and Android phone, but they can communicate into their home as well.
• If you know someone who wants to automate their home, my suggestion would be the WeMo Home Automation Family which is easy to set up and easy to use. All that’s needed is WiFi and a smartphone that runs iOS or Android.

Do you have any suggestions for additions to this list? If so, please post a comment and share your thoughts.

UPDATE: The ChargeKey is now called the NomadKey and the ChargeCard has been discontinued by Nomad Goods.

Last year, I did a Holiday Gift Guide on a whim and it worked out well as I got lots of traffic and positive feedback. So this year, I decided to do another one, but in two parts. Today, I will focus on gifts that caught my eye from my all over the place. Next Friday, I will give gift suggestions from the various items that I reviewed this year. So, without further delay, let’s get started.

• True audiophiles – those who live and breathe high-fidelity sound reproduction – are a rare breed. As a result, finding gifts for them can be challenging. Luckily, Bang & Olufsen has them covered with a few gift ideas that will undoubtedly delight even the most discerning music lover. This part year, I covered their 4K TV and their BEO line of audio gear. They’re all very must gets for anybody who has an audiophile on their list.
• I came across No Starch Press earlier this year and they have a couple of books that should make it onto your list this year if you have kids who like computers. Carlos Bueno has a lovingly illustrated new book that brings computer science to life. Bueno’s Lauren Ipsum (Available Dec 2014, 192 pp., $16.95, 4C) is a fantasy adventure in the style of Alice in Wonderland that’s designed to spark discussions about computer science. JavaScript for Kids (Available Dec 2014, 336pp, US $34.95, 4C). Like Python for Kids before it—now the best-selling introduction to programming for young people. The company has many other books that are worth looking at so you should take the time to take a look.
• If your book audience is older, consider Deadly Odds which is a new breakout suspense thriller with a “techno edge” by bestselling author Allen Wyler and published by Astor + Blue Editions. The premise can be boiled down to this: What happens when a shy and awkward young computer hacker has a run-in with terrorists? I’m currently reading the eBook and it’s very good because it’s kind of funny at times while being full of suspense and tension. Plus it’s plausible which is big for me as I hate anything that incorporates tech in it because they never get the tech parts right. Check it out.
• Coffee via your smartphone? Done. I covered this Mr. Coffee coffeemaker earlier this year which essentially is just a normal percolator, but with a companion WeMo smartphone app (iOS and Android) that lets you set up a brewing schedule, or to simply turn the machine on remotely. It’s too cool not to mention.
• The Garmin HUD+ is kind of interesting as it will project your speed, turn-by-turn GPS directions, and the current speed limit onto your car’s windshield. If you don’t mind waiting until after the holiday’s, check out Navdy which set the crowdfunding world on fire earlier this year as well. In both cases, they are way safer than glancing at your smartphone, which requires you to refocus your eyes and/or look away from the road.
• How about bling? No, seriously. How about Bling. But not the really expensive kind. How about the nerdy kind? Ringly looks like a fabulous new cocktail ring. But is also an alert that will sync with her phone and it will inform her of calls, e-mails, and other notifications with discrete vibrations and colored lights, without having to peek at her mobile device.
• Or if you want something less techie, you can try the Rebecca Minkoff collection of tech accessories. From bags to cases, there’s something stylish for every woman. Or man for that matter.
• Your phone is disgusting. No, seriously. studies have shown that it has all sorts of nasty bacteria on it. To kill all of it, you need the PhoneSoap UV Smartphone Sanitizer from ThinkGeek. It uses UV rays to kill all that nasty stuff. Seriously, you need to get one.
• I tripped over this Bluetooth Headphone Adaptor at Sharper Image a while back.  It lets you control and listen to music or take calls from any Bluetooth device at all. Best of all, it uses the headphones that you own and like. Sweet!
• Nikon is serious about cameras and they have a whole list of cameras for every photographer on your list. Starting with the COOLPIX S32 and the COOLPIX P600 for those who like point and shoot cameras, all the way up to the D3300 and the D750 for those who want a DSLR, Nikon has you covered. 
• Finally, there’s the Harrison black leather iTouch tech gloves which allow you to control your phone while keeping your hands warm. Win! Win!

Stay tuned for part two of this Holiday Gift Guide next week where I will offer up suggestions based on the reviews that I’ve done this year. Stay tuned!

Having problems finding a gift for the people on your list? Hopefully I can help. Since I’ve reviewed a whole host of products this year, I’ve taken what I think is the best and presented them to you below. Hopefully there’s something on this list that sparks your interest. So let’s get started.

I’ll start with smartphones. If you have someone who loves Android phones, have them look at the Sony Xperia Z1. It’s a fast phone with a great camera and a good implementation of Android. Plus it’s water proof for those of you who live on the edge. Now if you’re a BlackBerry lover, you must take a look at the Z30 which is simply the best BlackBerry ever released by the company. It has a great screen, a good camera, and it’s worth some serious consideration. Windows Phone 8 lovers will want to take a look at the Nokia Lumia 1020 as that has a stunningly good camera.  Of course there’s also the usual suspects from Apple too.

Now on to cars. If you have someone on your list that likes their cars with a bit of spice to them, but you don’t want something from one of the usual suspects, take a look at Volvo. The S60 R-Design Platinum that I tested this past summer looks very sharp, but doesn’t scream out the fact that it will do 0 – 60 in 5.5 seconds or less. Plus it comes with a ton of cutting edge safety features including the ability to stop itself if you don’t react in time. If that’s way beyond your price point, Dodge can hook you up with a Dart which plays in the compact class of cars, but has the UConnect infotainment system which I’ve called the best I’ve ever seen.

If you have an audiophile on the list, then you should take a look at the products from SONOS. At the entry level is their PLAY:1 speaker which is priced very aggressively and sounds outstanding. Not only that, it will allow them to build the audio system they want as it comes with everything they need to get started. Another option is the PLAYBAR which is at someone who wants top shelf sound from their HDTV.

Let’s move towards stocking stuffers. You have a lot of choice out there, but here’s what I’d pick. If I have someone on my list who has an iPhone 5 or 5S and they need a case, a unique one is the Twelve South BookBook Case For The iPhone 5 which really stands out from the crowd. An iPad user might want to get the The Snugg iPad Mini Leather Case Cover and Flip Stand as it’s a very good case that is versatile. Someone with a laptop would likely want to get the ZeroShock IV Advanced Laptop Case as it does a great job of protecting laptops from drops. While too big to fit in a stocking, the Canon PIXMA MG7120 All-In-One Printer is a nice printer/scanner/copier at a great price point. Finally, anyone would love to be the recipient of the Quirky Pivot Power bar which allows you to use any size of plug and mold it to whatever shape you need it to be.

Do you have anything that you think should be on this list? Post a comment and share your suggestion.

Not someone who’s tech savvy and you need some suggestions for a gift for someone who is very tech savvy or someone who loves their gadgets and technology? Let me see if I can help with that with some suggestions:

SmartWatch

• Navigate your smartphone right from your wrist with this stylish and functional device
• 100+ apps available so you can have Facebook, Twitter and more right at your fingertips without having to take your smartphone out of your pocket or bag
• Easy-to-use, ultra-responsive touch display
• Bluetooth connectivity optimized for Xperia™ smartphones; connects to a variety of Android smartphones (compatible devices)

Smart Wireless Headset pro

• Give the gift of superior stereo sound
• On-the-go MP3 player and FM radio
• Android remote – displays caller names, media titles, text messages and emails, as well as place calls from recent calls list
• Black and white OLED display
• Available in Black

Apple iPhone 5

• 4-inch Retina display
• the powerful A6 chip
• an 8-megapixel iSight camera with panorama,
• ultrafast LTE wireless
• iOS 6, and iCloud
• 16GB, 32GB, and 64 GB sizes

Xperia T, ‘The Bond Phone’

• A sleek and sophisticated smartphone, as seen in the latest James Bond movie, Skyfall
• Now you can have a Bond gadget of your very own – with ‘One-Touch’ connectivity enabled by NFC (Near Field Communications) technology, sharing content is as easy as one tap of your phone to another NFC-enabled device
• A seamless experience with LTE speeds and HD capabilities for the high quality entertainment
• 13MP primary camera with full 1080p HD video recording and a 720p HD front camera
• 4.6” HD display

Garmin nuvi 3490 LMT

• Avoid traffic tie-ups with HD Digital Traffic (subscription-free live traffic updates over the HD Radio system).
• Enjoy free lifetime map updates.
• Navigate hands-free with voice-activated navigation.
• Make hands-free calls and texts.
• Easily carry nüvi in your purse or pocket thanks to a design that’s less than 9 mm thick.
• View routes on the 4.3″ (10.92 cm) touchscreen.

Monster iSport Immersion

Have you got any suggestions? Please post a comment below and share them with readers of this blog.